Queensland fall seven runs shy of claiming outright victory in a tight clash at the WACA
Match Report:
ScorecardWA see out thrilling draw against Bulls
Queensland fell agonisingly short of victory in their Sheffield Shield clash with Western Australia at the WACA Ground.
Chasing 297 for victory off 38 overs, Queensland finished at 7-290, meaning the match ended in a draw.
Opener Joe Burns made 103 off 142 balls, while Marnus Labuschagne made 72.
The Bulls needed 50 runs off the last 39 balls, and that equation became a manageable 34 off 32 courtesy of Charlie Hemphrey (60 off 52 balls).
But some tight bowling from WA captain Mitch Marsh (2-49) and Matthew Kelly (5-60) at the death denied Queensland victory.
The Bulls needed 12 runs off the final over, but Kelly restricted them to just five runs.
Valiant chase from the @myFootDrAu QLD Bulls, however we have fallen just short of securing a win in Perth with the game ending in a draw.— Queensland Cricket (@qldcricket) November 27, 2017
Matthew Renshaw, who was dropped from the Australian Test team on the eve of the Ashes, made just seven off 22 balls before edging Kelly behind.
It continues a worrying lean run for Renshaw, who has failed to reach 20 in his past 11 domestic innings for Queensland.
Earlier, WA batsman Ashton Turner cracked 101 off 160 balls to lift the Warriors to 8(dec)-306 in their second innings.
The Warriors were in all sorts of trouble after losing 3-5 early on Monday to slump to 8-196 - an overall lead of just 186.
But Turner and Jason Behrendorff (39no) combined for an unbeaten 110-run stand to guide WA out of trouble.
Behrendorff, who is nursing a back injury, didn't bowl on either Sunday or Monday.
The 27-year-old is struggling with pain stemming from the scar tissue of an old stress fracture in his back.
His absence meant Marsh made an unexpected return to competitive bowling.
Marsh, who underwent a shoulder reconstruction in March, wasn't due to bowl competitively again until WA's next Shield match against Victoria.
But with Behrendorff sidelined, Marsh stepped up to the plate and helped put the brakes on Queensland just as the visitors appeared set for victory.
On the eve of the match, Behrendorff revealed he had been told the fracture will never fully heal - a situation some other pace bowlers have also dealt with during their careers.
Behrendorff hopes the injury won't force him to give up long-form cricket, but his inability to finish the Shield match will raise further questions about whether he should consider becoming a white-ball specialist.
Western Australia XI: Jono Wells, Will Bosisto, Hilton Cartwright, Mitch Marsh, Ashton Turner, D'Arcy Short, Josh Inglis, Andrew Holder, Matt Kelly, Jason Behrendorff, Simon Mackin
Queensland XI: James Peirson (c), Joe Burns, Brendan Doggett, Luke Feldman, Charlie Hemphrey, Marnus Labuschagne, Michael Neser, Matthew Renshaw, Mitch Swepson, Sam Truloff, Jack Wildermuth.